


Shut Up and Dance

by impactEvents



Series: Wasteland Saints [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-09
Updated: 2015-09-09
Packaged: 2018-04-19 21:12:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4761164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impactEvents/pseuds/impactEvents
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Musical fic loosely based on the song "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon. The Lone Wanderer arranges a party in Moriarty's Saloon, Nova teases Gob relentlessly about his crush, and Moira gets incredibly sleepy. Takes place before 'Home.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shut Up and Dance

**Author's Note:**

> so, funny story, i thought the line "backless dress and some beat up sneaks" was "backless dress that's in need of sleeves" until i was about halfway through writing. woops. anyway. hope yall enjoy this incredibly self indulgent gob fic.

He couldn’t believe Lucy’s plan had worked. Somehow, she’d managed to convince Moriarty that it would be an “excellent business opportunity” to host a party in the saloon. Even more impressive, she’d convinced him to let her pre-purchase drinks for everyone so that he would be free to enjoy the party. 

“I swear, Luce, you could talk your way into anything. How do you _do_ it?” Gob asked, steadying the ladder as she pinned streamers over the bar. 

“I dunno! I just, play on what I know people want. Like, when I want something from Nova, I offer her a backrub, or something.”

“You give the best backrubs, honey,” the older woman sighed from her perch on the steps. She’d declined to help with the set-up, refusing to risk breaking her neck on the poorly constructed ladder. “Please be careful up there.”

“Nova, I have done _much_ more dangerous things than balance on a ladder. Gimme _some_ credit.”

“Yeah, but it looks like it could snap at any second. I don’t want my masseuse crackin’ her skull open.”

“I’m gonna agree with Nova, vaultie. I’m gonna feel awful if you die on my watch.”

Finished, Lucy slid down the ladder and smooched him on the cheek. “Only for you.”

“Get a room!” Nova jeered, cackling when Gob jumped away. The vaultie rolled her eyes.

“ _Okay_ , Nova. It wasn’t even funny the first ten times.”

“Oh, but it was.” She grinned and stubbed out her cigarette on the railing. “I’m gonna go get dressed. Gonna break out the dress with two holes.”

“Okay! I’ll be back in a few, too. Gotta feed Dogmeat. See ya!”

Gob waved good-bye, smiling faintly, still feeling the spot where she’d kissed him.

“You should make a move, Gobbie.” Nova hung over the railing, half undressed already. “A party? With a couple hundred caps busted on booze just so you’d be free?”

“I- I think she just didn’t want me to have to watch everyone else having fun.”

“Sure, a’ight.” She sighed. “Keep thinking that.”  
_

“Are you sure the _honor system_ is really a good idea?” Nova eyed the bucket of caps next to the front door. 

“Sure, why not?” Lucy smiled, fingering the knife she’d secured to her belt. A belt that very much did not go with the ridiculous, blue, sleeveless, _backless_ dress she’d chosen. Gob had no idea where she’d found such a thing. It was gorgeous - and he noted, with no slight admiration, that it hugged the slight curve in her thick waist perfectly. 

“Awesome, right?” The vaultie twirled, revealing faded yellow on the reverse as the pleated, knee-length skirt fanned out. “Moira helped me make it. We used some jumpsuits I found last time I was out.” A wistful expression crossed her face. “It’s almost like being back ho - in the vault. We had uniform dresses kind of like this.”

“It looks really nice,” the ghoul choked out. Lucy tossed him a delighted grin.

A red ponytail bobbed through the crowded bar to the small alcove where Lucy and the two ‘employees’ sat. “Drinks?” Moira offered, passing around three Nukas and a small bottle of - something toxic, Gob was sure. 

The vaultie wrinkled her nose as Moira popped open her Quantum and took a giant gulp. “I’m pretty sure that stuff wasn’t meant for human consumption, Moira…”

“Well, good thing that one’s an alien.” Lucy elbowed Nova hard in the ribs. 

A jazzy dance number began playing on the jukebox the vaultie and Moira had heaved over from her house. The shop owner’s eyes lit up, and she motioned and shouted excitedly for Lucy to join her. Beaming, the pair pushed their way into the crowd to dance.

“You want I should distract her?” Nova whispered, barely loud enough for Gob to hear over the noise.

“What? Why?”

“So you can make your move, dummy!” Her face twisted into a devilish smile.

“There’s no _move_ to _make_ , Nova.” The ghoul’s face heated up, even though no one could hear their conversation. Shaking his head, he stood, and edged his way across the room to a seat at the bar. It was a comfortable, if not slightly _weird_ , feeling, to be seated on this side. He turned and watched Lucy and Moira dancing.

The girls swung each other out in wide arcs, Moira spinning Lucy every so often. They took turns dipping each other; the noodle-armed Moira almost dropped the vaultie, and her glasses dangled precariously off her head. In retaliation, Lucy’s next turn, she dipped the redhead all the way to the floor before snapping her back up into a spin. Moira wobbled slightly, and collapsed melodramatically onto the other girl. The pair stood there laughing for a minute. Patting Moira’s shoulder, Lucy caught Gob’s eye and headed towards him.

“That was _fun!_ ” Lucy exclaimed, twirling her way to a seat. 

“It looked it. Moira looked like she was gonna puke when you spun her, though.”

“I blame the Quantum. Told y’all that stuff wasn’t for people.” Giggling, she edged her stool closer to Gob’s, and leaned on his shoulder. “You should dance with me.”

“I- I don’t really dance, Luce.”

“You don’t _like to_ or don’t _know how?_ ”

“Second one.”

“What! C’mon, let’s fix that!” Lucy bounced back up and placed her hands on his forearms.

“Oh no, I’m good.” 

With perfect timing, the jukebox began playing a slow, almost melancholy, Billie Holiday song. Leaning on it was Nova, who flashed him a wink and an ‘okay’ hand symbol.

 _Oh my god._ Gob looked back to Lucy, who was rocking on the heels of her boots, brown eyes pleading him to come with her.

“Okay. Only because it’s you.” 

The vaultie let out an excited squeak and began tugging him by the arm to an open area.

“Okay, okay, okay. Just watch me, okay? I'll lead first.”

Gob had absolutely no idea what that meant in dancing terms, but he let the girl take his right hand in hers, and placed his left around her neck.

“Don’t worry! It’s easy, I promise.” Her hand securely on his back, she led him through a few steps. “See? All you do is kinda, step and sway. C’mon, you try leading.” 

He somehow managed to only stammer slightly when she moved his left hand to just above the fabric line on her back. 

After a (very successful) minute, Lucy tapped his shoulder. “Look at Nova.” They turned, and Gob caught a glimpse of a very sleepy Moira dancing (Barely, he thought. Hanging off of, really.) with the apparently pleased older woman.

“They’re such a cute couple,” she intoned, turning them back around so she could look again.

“Just because they’re slow dancing…”

“No, it _definitely_ does.”

“Really? Look at us.” Gob raised a brow as Lucy opened and closed her mouth. 

“Well. That’s... different.”

“Different how?” he asked, pulling her in close, surprising her with a small dip. When she snapped back up, he noted how flushed her face was. Then it was his turn, as he realized she hadn’t stepped back from him when he pulled her up. His heart pounded against his ribcage as he struggled to keep a cool face, waiting for her reasoning.

“I. I dunno. It’s you and me. We’re special.” She held eye contact with Gob, who felt more and more anxious by the second.

“Lu- “

“Would the special little lady mind sparing a dance for this old man?” A hand slid between Lucy and Gob’s as Moriarty cut him off. A brick slammed into the pit of Gob’s stomach; he stumbled backwards.

The vaultie’s fury was masked almost as immediately as it appeared. “Of course, Colin.” She shot a distressed look at the ghoul, silently apologizing. He shrugged, and shuffled back to their original alcove.

“What a scumbag.” Nova stood on her tiptoes, glaring daggers across the emptying room at their boss’s back. “Fuck that guy. You were gonna tell her, right?” She settled back into the plush red chair, letting the exhausted Moira drape her arms around her neck.

Gob shrugged again. His coworker let out a frustrated noise, and then a very different sort of frustrated noise as the other girl began whispering things against her neck.

“This one’s drunk. I’m gonna go carry her ass home. C’mon, weirdo.” Nova pulled Moira out of the chair and slid an arm around her waist as she walked her out the door.

 _Huh._ Gob plopped into their vacated seat. _Mighta been right on that one, Luce._  
_

When the bar was finally empty, the three friends and Moriarty surveyed the mess.

“Clean up before you close, boyo.” He turned to leave.

“Colin!” Lucy shook the bucket of caps. The man turned slowly. “Remember?”

“Aye,” he sighed, waving at Nova and Gob. “Yer both down 150 caps on your debts. Thank that one there for it.” Snatching the bucket, he stalked out.

Gob looked at Lucy in confusion. “What was that about?”

“I… might’ve been whittling down on you guy’s debts. I told him to split the door fee three ways - some for him, the rest for you two.” She grinned deviously. “And slipped some extra in, case it didn’t hit the 450 I expected.” 

The ghoul stared at her like she’d grown another head.

“Gob, go lay down or somethin’. Nova ‘n I got this.” She ushered him towards the big chair. “Honestly? Not as bad as I thought.” Lucy collected discarded glasses, dumping the half-empty ones into the sink. 

“Colin?”

“No! The mess. He was awful. Didn’t try anything, but, yunno. Cutting Gob off like that.” She slammed a glass down on the drying rack.

“It’s not that big a deal, Luce,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, I’m not listening to this again. G’night, you two.” Yawning, Nova headed upstairs.

Gob closed his eyes and slumped in the cushy chair, listening to Lucy’s humming as she dunked the cups in a vat of Abraxo and hot water. He must have fallen asleep, he figured, because when he next opened his eyes, the humming had been replaced by a quiet melody from the jukebox, and Lucy was gently shaking his arm. 

“... Time?”

She glanced at her Pip-Boy. “Three-ish.”

“Oh my god, Lucy. I would have helped.”

“Gob, you fell asleep, like, five seconds after sitting down.” She smiled, and pulled him to his feet. “I don’t think I’ve seen _anyone_ conk out that fast.”

“Oh. Well… Thanks, Luce. I can close up now if you wanna…” He nodded to his hands, which she was still holding, absentmindedly running her thumbs across the backs of his hands.

“I just…” The vaultie ducked her head. “We didn’t really get to… finish that. _Dance._ ”

She puffed her cheeks and looked up at him through her bangs, motioning to the quiet jukebox. 

“Last dance?”


End file.
